If you are considering using a home care provider, you'll want to find out the kinds of services on offer, and of course the costs involved. But - do you ever spare a moment to consider the kinds of qualifications and knowledge you should expect care staff to have before they walk through your door?...

The Care Certificate

In England there are more than a million care workers, many of whom look after vulnerable and elderly people in their homes, and who are often tasked with carrying out medical procedures that might ordinarily be done by doctors or nurses. You may or may not be aware that all of these care workers are expected to complete the national Care Certificate.

The care certificate scheme originated from the Francis Inquiry, which followed a scandal at Staffordshire Hospital, where inconsistencies in the training of care staff were highlighted.

Following the Francis Inquiry, Camilla Cavendish was asked by the Secretary of State to review and make recommendations on the recruitment, learning and development, management and support of healthcare assistants and social care support workers.

Her review found that the preparation of healthcare assistants and social care support workers for their roles within care settings was inconsistent, and one of the recommendations was the development of the Care Certificate.

Although the Care Certificate is designed for new staff, new to care and offers this group of staff their first step on their career ladder, it also offers opportunities for existing staff to refresh or improve their knowledge. It gives everyone the confidence that workers have the same introductory skills, knowledge and behaviours to provide compassionate, safe and high quality care and support.

At Absolute Healthcare, we ask all of our staff to complete the Care Certificate upon starting work with us, and this covers a wide range of topics including; duty of care to patients, equality and diversity, communication, privacy and dignity, fluids and nutrition, mental health, dementia and learning disabilities, safeguarding for adults and children, life support, health and safety, handling training and infection prevention.

We even have one of our staff completing the Care Certificate assessors course, to help us ensure we’re meeting all the relevant training levels.

The NVQ in Health & Social Care

For our more experienced members of staff, we support the completion of the Level 3 NVQ in Health & Social Care – the equivalent to A level standard study, which forms a basis for further study and career development within the health sector.

The NVQ develops a more detailed knowledge of health and social care and includes modules in; training within health and social care, legislation and policy, communication and safeguarding, physiology and management of diseases, and universal principles of care.

We are supporting two members of staff through this NVQ Level 3 qualification – and we fully encourage carers to pursue their career goals, even if it occasionally means we lose them to other areas of the health sector!

In addition, as our Director of Care is a Registered Nurse, we proudly go above and beyond the national average with regards to training, regularly conducting courses areas such as; first aid, dementia awareness, complex care and end-of-life care.

This means as a local care provider, you really can trust that we invest in the staff who look after you, and that they are more than adequately trained to deliver quality care, to people with a variety of medical and personal care needs.

If you have any questions regarding our provision of care, please give us a call on 01420 769658